The audio stream reading technology is a technology for allowing a playback apparatus to read a compressed encoded audio stream from a recording medium such as an optical disc, and to output the read audio stream to another apparatus. In general, the playback apparatus is provided with a decoder for decompressing the compressed encoded audio stream, obtains a non-compressed LPCM-format digital audio with the decoding by the decoder, and outputs the obtained non-compressed LPCM-format digital audio or an analog audio signal to another apparatus.
A televisions or a speaker in a home theater system takes in the non-compressed LPCM-format digital audio or the analog audio signal that is output from the playback apparatus in this way, and outputs sounds/voices. The document identified below discloses one of prior art technologies for reading an audio stream recorded on a recording medium and playing back the read audio stream.    Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-228656